There are regular threads about what one should buy while traveling. What was the stupidest thing you bought?

A big umbrella in Venice. Had to put it thru the luggage compartment in all our flights.<BR>

Bought 2 paintings in Rio at the hippy market. Had to find packing material then schlepped them down to Iguaccu Falls, up to Manaus to the Amazon River and them home. They are now in my closet.

&quot;Your name on a grain of rice&quot; necklace... but honestly anyone who's been to beach resort/Mexico themselves gets a kick out of receiving one as a surprise gift!<BR>

Come on...no one else has gotten crazy gifts.....does no one else shop??

We didn't intentionally buy this, but we ended up getting a shell with our names on the inside (complete with a heart) when we were on the beach in Acapulco. An old man asked our names - we thought it might have something to do with the deposit on the lounge chairs. Next thing we know, he's presenting his hand painted shell! Of course, we gave him some pesos for it. It was really not our kind of thing at all!

In Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, we bought a knitted hammock for my father-in-law. We had to carry it as we moved around Brazil for the next two weeks, and it was very heavy and took up much room in the suitcase. We got it home and shipped to him. He put it up between two trees, then he lay down on it -- the thing unraveled immediately. Oh, well, I learned a lesson.

Hey Susan! <BR>I think we met up with the same man. We have a shell with a heart and our names too.

I didn't buy anything stupid..I am stupid! Iwent to Europe and bought Greek olive oil that was capped with a wax seal. I carted it around Heathrow for 4 hours on a layover and had the oil in mynew leather backpack. After getting home, I was in the customs line when the person behind me asked me where I bought my backpack. When I took it off my should I saw there was a HUGE round stain....the wax seal had melted and the olive oil leaked all over!

A HUGE sombrero that I had to carry on the plane, then schlep around an airport for 3 hours waiting to make a connection...Then, of course, carry on another plane with not so friendly flight attendants...<BR><BR>Now really!!...What did I need with a red velvet sombrero with lots of gold trimmings????<BR><BR>Now that I think of it, I have no idea where it is now!...

The stupidist souveneer??!?! My husband has them all! He thinks he likes to collect a &quot;rock&quot; from everywhere he goes- - and he does. Problem is -- now we have been together for 22 years and after many many vacations....he has no clue which rock came from where.....but he refuses to throw them away. <BR> OK - and my favorite &quot;stupid gift&quot; was a photo that was taken of us in the Bahamas by a hotel lobby photographer. They put it in one of those little 3 inch viewing triangles you look into and it has a chain attached. It was taken in 1980 and every few years it will surface in the house. We get a huge kick out of looking into it and seeing how young and skinny we were and how funny we dressed!